Hugo, The Runaway
"Mum, do you love me?" I asked.
"Of course. I love you." Mum brought a plate out with a sandwich and chips. "Now eat lunch."
I ate silently. After I put my plate in the sink. I went to find my dad to see if he want to play wizard chess. I found him in the living room reading the paper. "Dad, can we play chess?"
He didn't look up from his paper. "Maybe, later."
I was a little down. "Dad do you love me?"
He still didn't look up from his paper. "Of course, Hugo."
I left him there. I went upstairs, I found my sister, Rose. "Rose do you want to play something?"
"Not right now. I have work to do." Rose went to her room. I stopped her before she went in.
"Rose, please." I begged. "Please"
"No, go away. This is why no one likes you." Rose shut her door.
I went to my room. Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm going to be nine. No one cares about me. Mum and Dad forget I'm here half the time. I'm not prefect like Rose, who is smart as mum and loves Quidditch as much as Dad. I not smart and hate Quidditch. Everything is about Rose.
They probably forget my birthday. They don't need me. I pick up my old backpack. I put some cloths in and some of my favorite things in there. I start to cry. They hate me. I cry myself to sleep.
"Dinner!" Mum yelled. I woke me up.
I walked out of my room. I walk right into Rose. "Hugo, get out of the way." She said between her teeth.
They didn't know I was at dinner. Like always it was about work and about what Rose is going to do at Hogwarts. She leaves in a week. I help clean up the kitchen. I went to my room and wrote a letter to my parents.
Dear Mum and Dad
I'm leaving. You don't need me. You have Rose the prefect child. You probably won't even miss me. You can have the prefect family.
Love,
Hugo
I read it over. I like it. I fold it up and put it on my dresser.
The next morning before Mum and Dad wake up, I pull on some jeans and a jumper. I can hear Dad snoring from his room.
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"Rose, can you go and get your brother." Mum yelled from the kitchen.
"Do I have to." I moan. I look at my Dad. He gave me the look, 'Do as your mother says'
I put my book down. I walk upstairs. I knock on Hugo's door. "Hugo, come on. Come downstairs so we can eat. I start to pound on the door. I look at the clock in the hall. I have been at it for least two minutes. He would have opened the door by now.
I open the door. I look in his room. He not here. Where is he? I look around his room and find a note on his dresser. I open it and read it. The blood drain from my face. Hugo left.
"Mum!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
Mum comes running up the stairs. "What is it?" Mum saw the tears in my eyes as I hand her the note. Mum reads it. "Ron!" Mum was yelling for dad.
Dad came running up. "Hermione, are you trying to wake up the whole neighborhood."
"Ron, Hugo ran away." That when my mum broke down.
"Hermione, we'll get him back." Dad gathers Mum in his arms.
"My baby out there by himself." Mum was crying. I could see tears in my dad eyes. He wouldn't let them fall.
"Rose, can you floo Uncle Harry." I nodded.
I went to the fireplace and flooed Uncle Harry. "Uncle Harry!" I yelled I see Lily walk in the room. "Lily can you get your dad." Lily nodded and went to get her dad.
"What is it, Rose." Asked Uncle Harry as he walked in the room. Aunt Ginny walks in with him.
"Hugo ran away." It was all I could say. Tears started coming down.
"Okay. I'll be right over." He turns to Aunt Ginny. "Dear can you get your brothers." Ginny nodded. "Tell them to meet me at Ron's."
After I was done talking to Uncle Harry. I sat on the loveseat. Uncle Harry was in the room before I knew it. "Where are your parents." I pointed upstairs.
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"Ron, Hermione." Harry called out.
"In here." I yelled back. Harry walked in to Hugo's room. I was sitting with Hermione on his bed.
"What happen?" Harry asked.
It was Hermione who answer. "Rose came in here to get Hugo. All she found was a note." Hermione gave Harry the note. Harry read it.
Come downstairs. We will find him." We went downstairs. There were all of my brothers. Ginny was making tea for everyone.
"Thank you for coming." I address my family. I saw Rose out of the corner of my eye. She looked younger then her age. "Hermione, Rose" Hermione looks at Rose and opens her arms, Rose runs in them. Hermione walks out with Rose and Ginny. We slip up to find Hugo.
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I been walking all morning, I'm tired. I sit on the curb. A young man comes to sit by me.
"Hi, I'm Fred."
"Hi, I'm Hugo."
"What are you doing out here?" He asked me.
"I ran away." I told him. Pound of what I did.
"Why?" He sound confused at why would I be proud.
"No one loves me at home." I told him. "Mum and Dad have Rose. They don't need me. They have their prefect family."
"Why do you think that?" He looked at me. "You look just like your father when he was your age."
"Because Rose is smart and likes Quidditch as much as Dad. I have nothing in common with my parents. Everyone says I look like Dad" I told with an edge.
He laughs. "Your dad wasn't smart as your mum. And your mum hates Quidditch. I think you have more in common with then you think."
We sat in silence for a couple of minutes. When I break it. "It's my birthday today."
"Happy Birthday. How old are you?"
"Nine."
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"What did you want for your birthday."
"A wizard chess set."
"Wow. What would you do for your birthday?"
"We would go to Grandmum and Granddad house with the whole family there. Grandmum would bake your favorite cake and make a big dinner. They would give me thing my parents disapprove of. I think it was what mum disapprove of. We would laugh and play games the rest of the night. It was always prefect."
"I think your family loves you." Fred said with a smile.
"What about you. What is your family like." I asked.
"My family just like your. To many to count. Load. I haven't seen them since I was twenty?" His smile didn't go up to his eyes.
"Why, haven't seen your family? They love you, they would like to see you."
"I see them from a distance. They are happy. They miss me, but I can't see them. Just like your family. They will miss you if you left them. They love you."
"Hugo!" I hear Dad yelling. I look up and see him running over towards me. He takes me in a hug. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, Fred kept me company." I look were Fred was. He wasn't there. "He was right there." I point to where he sat.
"Come on. Let's go home." Dad looks up and mouths 'Thank you' Dad takes my hand and we walk home.
As I walk in the house, Mum runs up and hugs me. I can feel the tears on my shoulder. "Mum I'm sorry." Mum looks in my face. She has a smile on her face, a sad one.
"Hugo, don't ever do that again. I thought I would be in trouble.
"Why did you run away, Hugo." I hear Dad.
"Because no one what me. You have the prefect family. You, Mum and Rose. Why do you need me? I'm the reject. Rose is smart and loves Quidditch. I not your son." I started to cry. "You don't love me. You don't even know I'm here. All you care about is Rose. I was mistake for you. You shouldn't have had me." I couldn't take it anymore. I ran to my room. I cried for everything.
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Ron, my son hates me." I look at my husband. He pulls me close.
"No, Hugo doesn't hate you." Ron was trying to reassure me.
"Why did he say those things." I ask Ron.
"I don't know." He was unsure as I was.
"How could I forget him. I love him." I started to cry harder.
Everyone came back from the search. "Is everything okay?" Harry asked.
"My son hates me." I sobbed.
"He doesn't hate you. He upset." Harry said.
"You didn't hear him. He thinks we don't want him. That we don't love him. All we care about is Rose. He called himself a reject and mistake." I was yelling by now. I push out of Ron's arms and fall in a chair.
"Hermione calm down." Harry said to me. "He safe now."
"I'll talk to him." Ron said before I could yell at Harry some more.
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I knock on Hugo's door. "Come in." I hear him say.
"Hugo, what is the meaning of this? Why do you feel unloved?" I sat at his desk.
"Yesterday, when I asked you if you love me. You and Mum said of course and you sounded annoyed. I asked Rose if she would play with me. She said no one likes me. So if on one likes me. You wouldn't care if I left."
I went to sit on his bed. "Hugo we love you."
"I'm nothing like you or Mum. I'm not smart or do I like Quidditch. I'm not like Rose."
"We don't want you to be like Rose. We want you to be yourself. You are like your mother and me. I'm not smart. Your mum doesn't like Quidditch. You love wizard chess like me. You are the voice of reason with your sister and your cousins. Trust me you are like your mother and me. You hold a special place in our hearts." I hug him. "Let's go downstairs and say sorry to your mum, then we can go to the Borrow. Happy Birthday."